Gage.



No. 875,045. PATENTED DEG. 31, 1907. M. D. BROWN.

GAGE. APPLIOATIQN r1LBD'AUq.1a,1Qos.

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PATENTED DEG. 31, 1907.

' M. D. BROWN.

GAGE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.13,`1906.

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No. 875,045. PATBNTED DB0. s1, 1907. M. D'. BROWN.

GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.13, 1906.

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wils NoRRls PE1-Ens co., WASHINGTON, D. c4

MIDDLETON D. BROWN, OF GRAND CHAIN, ILLINOIS.

GAGE

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1907.

Application filed August 13, 1906. Serial No. 330,368.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIDDLETON D. BROWN, a citizen of United States, residing at Grand Chain, in the county of Pulaski, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gages and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make 'and use the same.

This invention relates to measuring instruments and more particularly to gages of that class to determine the length and pitch of the rafters.

Furthermore theA invention resides in the provision of a gage of this character by means of which the degree of bevel at the ends of the rafters may be determined.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a gage of this nature, means for determining the height of the center post of a barn or the like and also the required bevel at the upper end thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in elevation of the invention, Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, Fig. 3 is a similar view taken from the opposite end of the device, Fig. 4 is a rear elevation, Fig. 5 is a top plan view, Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 7 is a similar view on the line 7-7 of the same figure. Referring more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 denotes a block to which is connected, adjacent to upper and lower ends and at one side thereof, beams 11 and 12 which extend from the block in spaced paral.

lel relation with respect to each other and which are provided upon their front face each with a scale 13, the scales being inches and twelfth of inches, indicating respectively feet and inches in the measurement in the rafters themselves. A vertical beam 14 is mounted for sliding movement upon the beams 11 and 12 through the instrumentality of a frame with which it is connected. The said frame comprises spaced parallel pieces 15 and 16 which are connected with cross pieces 17 and 18, the said cross pieces having their ends reduced and seated in recesses formed in the forward edge of the pieces 15 and 16, the said recesses which are indicated by the numeral 19, are, however, of suflicient size not only to receive the cross pieces 17 23 and with an indexiinger 24 which extends from one edge of the opening 23 in a position for registration with the scalel 13 upon the beam 12. A second plate 25 is secured to the cross piece 17 and includes likewise an index finger 26 which registers with the scale 13 upon the beam 11. The beam 14 is also provided upon adjacent faces with scale 27 for a purpose hereinafter described. A second frame is slidably mounted upon the beams 11 and 12 and supports a vertical beam 28 which extends upwardly in spaced parallel relation with respect to the beam 14 and is also provided as in the case of the said beam and upon adjacent faces with scale 29. The last named frame comprises crossed piece 30 and connecting upper and lower pieces 31 and 32 and also a cross piece 33 which connects the extreme lower ends of the crossed piece 30. The rear edges of the crossed piece 30, the upper and lower pieces 31 and 32 and the cross piece 33 are provided with alining recesses in which the lower end of the beam 28 is seated. The lower edge of the beam 11 rests upon the upper edge of the upper cross piece 31 and the beam 12 rests between the cross pieces 32 and 33 of the frame, the said beams being held in this position by means of the swivel arm 34 the ends of which are descended to overlie the said beams 11 and 12.

The index finger 35 is secured upon the cross pieces 31 and registers with the scale 13 with the beam 11 and a similar finger 36 is carried by the cross piece 33 and registers with the corresponding scale upon the beam 12.

The numerals 37 and 38 denote strips which are connected at their ends in spaced parallel relation by means of strips 39 which are secured at their ends at corresponding A. -plate 22 is secured to the side edge of the side piece 15 and is provided with an opening i one corner to the end of the said stem and is thus mounted for turningmovement in the space between the opposing ends of the sections of the strip 37, the beam 14 and the plate 40. A beam 44 is pivoted at one of its the beam 44.

ends to a plate 45 carried by the block 10 and between the said plate and the triangular plate 46 which is secured to the said block, the point formed by the meeting ends of the rightiangularly located edges of the plate being in registration with the pivotal point of y The saidV beam44 extends through the guide yoke 43 and it will be readily understood that when the frame which supports the beam 14 is moved longitudinally of the beams 11 and 12, the guide .yoke 43 will rock to accommodate itself to the vertical movement of the frame formed by the strips 37 and 38 upon the said beam 14. In order that the said frame may be held at any desired point of adjustment upon the beam 14, a block 45 is seated in the recess 46 in the inner edge face of the strip 38 and engaged in a threaded bore in the said strip and seated at its inner end in the block 45 is a set screw 47. s

A block 48 is held upon the beam 28 for sliding movement by means of yoke clips 49 which embrace the said beam 28. A stem 50 is connected at one of its ends to the block 48 and has its free end extending to the forward edge face of the lbeam 28. A plate 51 is swiveled to the end of the stem 50 and is provided with flanges 52 and 53 between which is slidably received the beam 44. The plate 51 includes an extension 52 which lies at all times in a plane at right angles to the plane of extension to the beam 44 and the edges of the plate at which the extension is formed is provided with a scale 54. The

beam 44 as in the case of the other beams` responding to the width of the building. As

the beam 14 is thus moved longitudinal of the beams 11 and 12, the sliding frame upon the said beam 14 willbe slid vertically thereon and the angle of inclination of the beam 44 will be either increased or decreased as the case may be. When the gage is manipulated to the degree stated above, the vertical edge of the triangular plate 40 will indicate upon the beam 44 the length of rafters required. The scalesupon the triangular plates 40 and 46 will indicate the angle to whichit is necessary to bevel or recess the ends of the rafters by reason of the fact that the lower edge of the said beam 44 will register with the scales upon the plates 40 and 46 and as these scales mark or indicate in inches the number of feet upon an ordinary carpenters square, it is a simple matter to apply the square in the same osition upon the rafter to be out.

To "nd the length of the center posts of a barn or the like from the level of the upper sill to the rafters, it is only necessary to attach the frame 30 upon the beams 11 and 12 and move the frame longitudinalof the side beams until itsA indicating fingers indicate upon the beams the distance from the side of the barn to the center post. The upper edge of the lower clip 49 will then indicate upon the beam 28 the desired measurement. Furthermore with respect to this use of the device the side edge of the beam 28 will indicate upon the scale upon the plate 51 the bevel necessary atthe upper ends ofthe said center post.

It is to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What is claimed is z- 1. An instrument of the class described comprising a block, a pair of parallel beams carried by the block, a frame supported by block, a vertically extending beam supported by the frame, a plate arranged for `sliding movement upon the vertical beam,

and guide members carried by the plate for the reception of the pivoted beam whereby the same will be swung vertically when the frame is slid upon the first named beams.

2. An instrument of the class described comprising a block, a pair of parallel beams carried by the block, a frame supported by the beams for sliding movement thereon and having a pointer for registration with a scale upon one of the beams, a beam pivoted to the block, a plate carried by the block and having calibrations thereon, a vertically extending beam carried by the frame, a second frame detachably supported for sliding movement upon the first named beams,` a In testimony whereof, lai-fix my signature, vertically extending calibrated beam carried in presence of two Witnesses.

by the last named frame and means carried by each of the vertioallyT extending beams MID' D BROWN' .5 for supporting the pivoted beam for verti- Witnesses:

cally swinging movement When either of the J. A. LEWIS, frames is slid upon the first named beams. A. L. LYELL. 

